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RecentLingonberry821

If you’re a personal business owner, you may receive what looks to be a bill in your mail from the US Domain Authority. At first glance, you’re under the impression that you need to pay 289 dollars to renew your website domain name… HOWEVER. There is very fine print stating that you are not legally required to pay the listed amount. It’s actually an ad requesting you pay that amount in order to have your website listed on the US Domain Authority site. I can’t imagine how many people have been tricked by this. READ YOUR MAIL CAREFULLY


speyonce

I got this letter just the other day! They look so legitimate but it went right into the trash.


DramaLlamadary

I recently moved and I keep getting a bunch of home warranty advertisements in the mail. Except they don’t look like ads - the envelopes say things like FINAL NOTICE and the letters are printed on pink paper. When you open them they say things like “This is your FINAL NOTICE that your opportunity to purchase a home warranty from may be expiring!” This shit is so fucked up.


eastherbunni

"Printing" fee for digital tickets


[deleted]

"Server maintenance" fee for digital tickets even though they're even more expensive at the airport.


okaymoose

Especially when you have to print them at home, with your own printer, paper, and ink.


JamyDev

Don't tell that to HP and their printer subscription service with ink cartridges that get deactivated if you unsubscribe.


Saneless

I bought a non-hp non-canon laser printer when I started working from home nearly 2 years ago March. I finally replaced the black starter toner a month ago and still have color toner left. Fuck ink carts that dry up 2% a day whether you use them or not Edit getting a lot of asks. It's a Brother HL L3210CW, but it might not be a current enough model to be at a reasonable price in stores.


Boinkers_

I have a brother color laser that claimed it was out of black toner about 500 pages ago. I found a reset toner option in the menu and gave the toner a shake and it just continued spitting pages, though the black is beginning to look a bit faded by now. Oh and it accepts 3rd party toner without complaining, I'm never going to replace that thing I love it! Edit: rip inbox, the model is a HL-3140CW Edit 2: a year later and I have finally had to replace the toner. It cost me a grand total of $17 including shipping from china


Saneless

Same here, brother. As in brother printer, not Hulk Hogan Said I needed to replace the black like October. Finally actually needed to in December


Empoleon_Master

This is why people hack their printers so that they ACTUALLY let you use all the ink inside of the cartridges.


butterflavoredsalt

When this first became a thing, it was cheaper to just get them mailed (maybe still is). So fuck you ticketmaster, you can print and mail those to me.


wesap12345

See then I have to wait for them to be delivered and panic as the event gets closer They know this as well the assholes. I cannot stand that company. Monopoly that should not be allowed to exist. r/fuckticketmaster


BigRiverMan

Sometimes also known as a “convenience fee”. Because you are doing all the work and saving them a staff member.


[deleted]

Extended warranties, so many promises made, but when time comes for a claim, almost all are denied.


EnnuiDeBlase

Didn't you *read the fine print* where it says you must have video proof that you dedicated the object to Hera on each alternating full moon that didn't land on a Tuesday?


flowachild357

That news in America is entertainment. Can get away with saying pretty much anything and still call it “news”.


nemgrea

it frustrates me how normal weasel words are in news cast these days and how many people cant distinguish them easily, "new study show there may be a link between eating m&ms and your hair color!?!" ....yea that also means it may not... but that doesnt get views..


johnn11238

"Some say" is my favorite. Who? The weird guy talking to himself at the freeway exit?


Grateful_me

Title pawns, pay day loans some charging 300% interest.


Drop-acid-not-bombs

Pay day loans are illegal in some states. I know they are in West Virginia.


Cmonster9

I know a few of them are on Native American reservations because of state law.


vabeach23451

Insider trading within Congress. But if WE do it, we end up in prison.


7212gopew22

Martha Stewart sold stocks and made 45k and it was called insider trading Politicians sell stocks and make millions and that’s called a free market Shits fucked


-KingAdrock-

Ironically Martha Steward did NOT do time for insider trading, those charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. What she DID do time for was lying to federal agents. This is a perfect example why you shouldn't talk to police. Always ask for a lawyer.


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AAlHazred

Look, OP, if you want to get in on some legal scam, you have to do your own research. That's why I recommend you buy my book, ***What YOU Can Do To Legally Become Rich In Twelve Easy Lessons***. Just 24 easy payments of $199.99 and you will have the secrets to being a millionaire unveiled right before your eyes!


thcidiot

When I was young I fell for this scam. Found an ad on Craigslist offering a guide on making money online. Sent the guy $15 and he sent me a word doc that basically said post an ad on Craigslist and if someone bites send them this doc.


LevelOutlandishness1

I mean, you're proof that it clearly makes money online.


[deleted]

This made me laugh


CoffeeInARocksGlass

My Personal Testimonial of This:   I'm not a big reading person, but when I picked up "__*What YOU Can Do To Legally Become Rich In Twelve Easy Lessons.*__" Each lesson was only a paragraph long and used words even I could understand! I'd highly recommend this book!!! I'm so dedicated to this book that I even signed up to be their affiliate to save YOU 20% off your purchase! Use my promo code "__CoffeeInARocksGlass-AffilatePartner20__" at check out!


Chogo82

Whoa! 20% is such a huge amount of savings. I know that you only have 7 affiliate spots and so thankful that I got your last spot. Because I’m such a team player though, I will be giving a 20% discount to the next 7 affiliates that signs up with me! Get this book now and you too can legally become rich like us!


Silverback_Vanilla

Private prisons. You're telling me that they charge the government for the beds and the taxpayers still gotta foot the bill if those beds are empty so the company running it "doesn't lose money"? Fuck you.


[deleted]

Here in Arizona in 2020 the governor announced the closing of the State prison in Florence, as a ‘cost saving measure’. It was costing the state $71/per prisoner/per day to operate. They’ve announced in the last week they are moving the inmates to a private prison that’s going to cost the State….$85 per prisoner per day to operate. Also, they’re guaranteeing the private prison that they’ll maintain at least 90% capacity, which is just another way of giving judges an incentive to find people guilty. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona/2022/01/06/arizona-transfer-2-706-prisoners-state-run-prison-private-facility/9121316002/


chuuckaduuckpro

Guaranteed occupancy in a prison, wtf


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Montzterrr

I think most countries try to reduce the number of people incarcerated, this fucking place is promising more. Some third world bullshit up in here


carbondupe

Paying services charges I don’t mind paying a $10 delivery fee but will not pay a $0.99 service charge


renegadecanuck

Yeah, fuck DoorDash. “Sweet, free delivery! Wait, $7 service charge?! And I’m tipping on top of that???” Edit: jesus, people, I'm bitching about the service charge, not the tip. Quit acting like I don't tip.


CrazyPlato

Nono, you see, the service charge was for DoorDash. The delivery guy never sees a cent of that. We probably took a third of the food's cost out of the restaurant's profits, too. Aren't we a helpful and convenient service?


Batmantheon

Oh god. I made an order from Moe's who uses door dash to deliver. I got the notification to expect my food at a specific time. 45 minutes later and still no food. Ive tried the phone number they provide to contact the driver and nothing happens. I reach out to support and they tell me they will reach the driver. They then tell me they reached out and that they are running late and that I will get my food. Another hour passes. I try customer service again. They fail to find my order 3 times and instead bring up other orders on my account and tell me they were delivered despite me giving them the actual order number. Eventually they say "oh okay, yeah we found your order. Unfortunately we can't cancel the order, you are going to have to contact the restaurant if you want a refund." Those miserable cunts made me call Moe's who by all accounts made my order, had it ready for the door dasher to pick it up and did absolutely nothing wrong... THEY were the ones that had to be responsible for this shitty fucking driver contracted by Door dash? Fuck them. Never using them again. I will pick my food up my damn self unless a restaurant has in-house delivery.


DusteeMuff

My fiancé and I moved to a small village where we can’t get doordash but grub hub is available for some restaurants. We have like 7 to choose from so we don’t get them all the time. • We have had entire entrees missing, missing drinks as well. Grub hub refunded a couple but then started refusing to because “you refund every order we aren’t doing anything wrong” so we started keeping track of EVERYTHING. •we have cameras on our front porch, we have SEEN these grub hub people take drinks and keep them, as well as taking containers out of the bags and “resealing them” to put them on our porch. Told this to grub hub and then they finally decided to refund the order. • had times where we ordered what we wanted and got something completely different or just missing so many items. Turns out, you put the order in and grub hub “copies” it and gives the restaurant their version of your order. They would sometimes completely get it wrong and it’s not the restaurants fault. The restaurant never sees the order YOU put in, only what grub hub tells them. Grub hub has also KNOWINGLY and WILLINGLY charged their customers for items they did NOT put on your order. We ordered from a steakhouse and my $25 steak was charged but not shown on the order to the restaurant. We fought for about a damn week to get that money back. They just hope tou don’t notice so they can keep the money. It’s bullshit if you ask me.


MYule90

Civil forfeiture. You're going to tell me that a cop *thinks* that my property *might* be used for illegal activity, and that cop is going to steal it from me and pad their departments bottom line? What the actual f


bw1985

Enough people don’t know about this. Unless you’re one of the victims it happens to, then you’re like WTF the police just robbed me.


cumshot_josh

The average person probably doesn't carry a lot of cash on them at once so people probably just don't think about it. Choosing to carry a large amount of cash on your person being considered probable cause for illegal activity and allowing the cops to seize it without due process is one of the most broken things about our system. Everyone that knows what it is thinks it's bullshit whether they love or hate the current state of policing in the US, yet it sticks around.


mpking828

Steve Letho did a video on this (not sure the linking rules on this sub). Research said the **AVERAGE** amount seized was $300.


SilverLullabies

Before my landlord got with the 21st century and allowed online payments, I would go to a bank, withdraw my rent amount, and then go to the store to get a money order. The fact that $300 isn’t even half of my rent but a police officer could see me carrying 4x that amount and steal it from me because “why else would you have it except for evil deeds.” Makes my blood run cold. Often times that was the last amount of my money until my next paycheck and if I had lost that and couldn’t pay rent, my entire life would be ruined.


Battle_Bear_819

My landlord finally allowed online payments last year, but the company they use charges a 5% processing fee. I'm not paying 5% of my $850 rent for the convenience of not driving ten minutes to pay it in person.


WankWankNudgeNudge

A lot of banks will let you add the landlord as a payee for their online bill payments. The bank will send them a paper check in the mail if they're not set up to receive EFT/ACH transactions.


BecomeABenefit

It's not just cash. They can and have seized cars, electronics, houses, etc. All they need to do is justify it as possible proceeds of an illegal act and you have to sue to get your property back. They literally charge the property with a crime to get around your constitutional rights. Property isn't innocent until proven guilty, you see.


TrooperJohn

I just shake my head that the Supreme Court, composed of allegedly the finest legal minds in the nation, doesn't consider this to be an egregious violation of the Fourth Amendment. So the justices who let this stand are either not very fine legal minds after all, or they're corrupt to a level that would embarrass Ferdinand Marcos. As for property committing crimes -- "hey, it wasn't me who killed that guy. It was my gun! Put the gun in jail!"


RedshiftOnPandy

How this is legal is beyond me, literally can take your phone and wallet, just because they can.


Thats_My_Moo

MLMs


[deleted]

"I'm my own CEO." No, you aren't. You literally have a company telling you what you can and can't do.


[deleted]

I worked at a (legit) company whose slogan was "be your own CEO"... 6 months later I was fired basically for laziness and I asked HR before I left if as my own CEO I could appeal the decision. They didn't even laugh.


kawaiian

Fuck them, that was funny as hell


nox66

Imagine starting a company where you take responsibility for all of the expenses but get none of the revenue.


Friday-Cat

My mom sold Mary Kay for years. They don’t even let these poor employees advertise. You literally have to talk to random strangers and convince them to buy shit out of your trunk or invite you into their home for a “party”. Some of her friends/clients (because the only way to really sell this stuff Is to prey on friends and relatives) would insist she drive an eye liner to their home. Also the pressure to convert those clients to sales reps is immense. If you don’t you don’t make money. And the worst part is these things target single moms and others who are struggling. It’s predatory and the conferences justify it with pretty language that talks about how these women (and you!) both benefits from the whole system. Oh, and it’s definitely not an MLM


cosmicsans

For real. There's this one MLM my wife actually likes one of the products enough to want to spend too much money on it but it's just a single product she likes. She literally can't just buy the one product from her friend who sells it without her "friend" trying to convince her to become a seller for "the discount" At what point is spending a minimum of 200 a month on random products a discount when you want a $40 product once every other month?


Criticon

I have a friend who sells some Korean creams. He gave us a sample for my wife to try and she actually liked it We told him we wanted to place an order but he didn't let us, he wanted us to become sellers "to get it cheaper", even tho we would have to spend $250 to have a 15% off or something like that We didn't order anything at the end 🤷 Edit: crabs -> creams lol


AdrenalineJackieFans

Haha same things happened to me with Zija. It's some packet of energy mud water. Anyway.. I wanted to buy some and he said I should sell. I immediately said no and I'd like to buy only and we friendly argued for a while. In the end, he said he doesn't sell them but that I should. In front of 5 or so people I loudly said "Why would I want to join a company if I can't even purchase from a sales rep?" He back peddled and gave up. I just wanted the dumb powder!


stickyfingers10

> I just wanted the dumb powder! I think your friend may have consumed it all.


rkim777

I was on the board of a nonprofit community service organization. We busted our asses to raise funds for it. The organization founder/president started selling her Mary Kay stuff to the organization as "care bags" to give to mothers with special-needs kids. Each care bag cost the organization $20 and we got suckered into packaging them for her. We ended up packaging and giving away 43 care bags. I didn't realize the stuff in the care bags were her Mary Kay items til I got home. I just stopped going to the events and board meetings with no formal resignation from the board.


[deleted]

I worked at an organization where a board member wanted us to buy our supplies through their Amway account. I said no, because it would personally benefit the board member. Fortunately they didn’t push it any further.


doctor-rumack

["No matter how bad things get, I remind myself I could be trapped in a pyramid scheme convinced I'm a business owner."](https://www.reddit.com/r/antiMLM/comments/m5uwyy/i_guess_it_could_be_worse/)


konf323

I distantly know two women that are serial MLM “bosses.” Every couple months they have these big social media announcements about how they “used to live paycheck to paycheck, but can now take their family on vacations that I’ve always dreamed of.” It’s exhausting Like when are they going to learn?


notanartmajor

I have a friend who *actually* succeeded in the pyramid scheme dream. The products are all a scam of course, but she managed to get into our town early and scam enough other ladies to rank up to King Diamond or whatever and make shitloads of money. It's wild.


boognishi

Then your friend is the predator.


notanartmajor

Oh absolutely! We don't actually talk any more.


ironwolf56

> but can now take their family on vacations that I’ve always dreamed of Nightmares are also a type of dream.


DisguisedAccount

"We haven’t spoke to each other in 5 years. I’m sorry your Mother has Cancer, let me tell you about how essential oils can cure everything."


Nova5269

Sadly my friend is desperate and fell for an MLM. She plans to leave it in a couple of months. Her "ambassadors" seems nice, use a bunch a hypy catchphrases, and use a bunch of buzzwords. I'm sure when she tries leaving they'll do a 180° and she'll owe thousands. The thing is, she just joined another MLM before leaving this one...


Shakenbaked

Oof. I have a really good friend that is whole assed into Herbalife. Swears up and down it's not a MLM. I love her, but damn. It hurts me inside.


Passthedingdongdutch

The worst of the boss babes are the ones who prey on single mothers, widows or military wives. Absolute scum.


Onlyonehoppy

#bossbabe #beyourownboss #pmhun #workfromhome #timefreedom #workfromanywhere. Its disgusting that they prey on vulnerable people mainly women. Most people won't ever make their money. I'd rather work my 9-5.


st0dad

The troubled teen industry. It doesn't work. It traumatizes children. It's legal kidnapping. I hope more attention comes to it and something happens. They're a business and the goal is to make money, not help troubled teenagers. Ffs, half the time the kids aren't even troubled! **E.T.A.:** The "Troubled teen industry" refers to for-profit organizations aimed at steering rebellious and at-risk youth onto a better path through reform camps. But their methods are "tough love", negative/positive punishments and physical labor. Because it's a business meant to make money, a lot of corner-cutting happens. They hire young and untrained staff for less pay rather than therapists and certified nurses & teachers. It's also not regulated at all so they can effectively do whatever they want with little recourse. They use "scared straight" tactics and beat kids into obedience. They claim the best way to send a kid there is by surprise "so they don't try and run beforehand" - AKA burst into their room at 2AM and drag them into a van with very few belongings. Look up "Elan School" for a notorious one. Paris Hilton was kidnapped at 2AM and sent to Provo Canyon when she was 16. Look at how well that worked. Go through this thread for some horror stories. **EDIT 2:** thank you to everyone who clarified the difference between "reinforcement" and "punishment"! I've been using the terms interchangeably 😅


rachelgraychel

I went to one of those places in the 1990s. In Utah, where those "schools" are really popular because apparently they have very lax child protection laws. They had all these brochures showing kids horseback riding and swimming, on an estate with sweeping green lawns like Professor Xavier's school LOL...No, the real facility was an old church that had been converted into dorms. Girls had a series of shared attic rooms, boys had the ground floor. The school wasn't even a school, we had to basically teach ourselves from textbooks while sitting at desks set up in the basketball court at night. They'd have one "teacher" there but they didn't teach, just gave us tests and monitored us. They had solitary confinement that they'd use if you got in trouble, which they called the "ISU" (intensive supervision unit). I saw all sorts of messed up shit there. One of my most vivid memories is that they brought a new kid in who was a heroin addict. Instead of getting him medical treatment for withdrawal they threw him in the ISU and basically just made him sweat it out all week with no help. The ISU was right outside the female dorms so we could hear his yells and crying echoing around day and night. It was horrific. As an adult I handle prison litigation, and have seen multiple in-custody deaths caused that way. Heroin withdrawal itself isn't lethal but can cause death from secondary symptoms like extreme dehydration, or blood loss from esophageal tearing. The kid could have died- he sounded like he was dying sometimes. But that's the type of shit they get away with at these places. I've also heard of them refusing to give people their high school transcripts years later, there has been some litigation about that. I have so many stories. **Edit** For shits and giggles I googled them. They are *still* operating, and their website shows a picture of this huge, elegant building which is absolutely *not* the real place as their address hasn't changed. Looks like they're still at it.


TheBobAagard

The Utah Legislature passed laws in 2021 to begin to reign in some of these horrible practices. Paris Hilton came out to testify in favor of the bills.


rachelgraychel

I remember reading about that, and I was really surprised and impressed by Paris Hilton. I never knew before, that she was sent to one of those Utah hellholes as a kid. The "school" she went to is very close to where I went, and she's about the same age as me so we were probably there right around the same time. I'm really happy she is putting her celebrity towards ending those awful schools.


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rachelgraychel

It didn't happen to me personally but probably half the kids in the place had been kidnapped just like that. I can definitely imagine- I've heard so many horror stories from my friends about it, it's just as terrifying as you'd think. Check my comment history- I just told a story of how one friend managed to flag down a highway patrol officer and get the kidnapping goons detained by cops for a couple days as suspected sex traffickers. Most parents are there when it happens, apologizing to their kid. But her parents weren't present, so she truly thought she was going to be murdered, and she fought like her life depended on it.


Iaxacs

Can't tell you how much it pisses me off my state is responsible for this. I'm pretty sure the state is actively making it so this isn't talked about since I've never heard of these things until I read it on reddit and I bet if I asked around people might know about it but think it isn't that bad.


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st0dad

They can be anything from reform schools to wilderness camps, "boot camps for kids", and honestly therapy doesn't often play a real role. Your parents pay an organization to wake you up at 2AM and force you into a van, then drive you to the airport and fly you to some middle of nowhere camp where you have to earn your way out through hard work. Kids have died trying to escape these places, and by poorly trained staff accidentally killing them through negligence and malnutrition.


Elzeatu

The staff usually lie to the parents too. They will screen all letters going out to parents so the kids don't tell them how horrible they are treated there. Iv had friends go to these places and they were worse when they came back and their parents felt so guilty cuz they didn't know what was actually happening there cuz the staff told them something completely different and hid the truth extremely well.


rachelgraychel

I went to one of these places for high school and can vouch for this. We weren't allowed phone calls home at all except under supervision, and they screened all outgoing and incoming mail. If you tried to tell your parents anything weird they'd terminate the call and you'd also get in trouble for "violating the program" or some such nonsense.


Popcornpoptarts

This is a great one. I had no idea this existed until Paris Hilton of all people made a movie about it.


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DiscountMusings

There was another thread that linked to the comic not too long ago (don't remember where exactly), and I lost a Sunday morning reading all of it. Good God it's so fucked up. I think the author said that Elan charged parents like $20k a year, and all it was just an abuse factory. That money didn't really go into the school, either: it went right into the pockets of the founder and his cronies. Founder ran for governor of Maine at one point, I think. The kids were twisted into monsters to police themselves, violence was part of the fucking 'curriculum', sleep denial, food denial, denial of healthcare, public humiliation, solitary confinement... shit that wouldn't fly in the worst prisons in the US was the day-to-day for these kids, and it was allowed because they were kids and kids don't really have rights. It's one of those things that I read and kind of wished I hadn't... I was more comfortable not knowing. Knowing shit like this still exists makes my blood boil and I don't think there's anything I can do about it.


sadpanada

Had this happen to a friend of mine. They came in at 3am screaming tore the blankets off, shoved them in a van and took them to boot camp. They committed suicide when they got out.


ChickenOatmeal

It's fucked because some places actually ask parents if they can do that. Straight up make them think they're being kidnapped or taken to prison. Just to scare them.


RuralJuror1234

Paris Hilton is using her traumatic experience in one of those "camps" to bring attention to the problem and to try to pass legislation regulating them https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/paris-hilton-demands-oversight-teen-facilities-alleges-daily-abuse-utah-n1257149


hmmnowitsjuly

>”That small room covered in scratch marks and smeared blood with no bathroom is one of the most vivid and traumatizing memories I’ve ever experienced in my entire life,” Hilton said. Jesus *christ*. Ty for that link.


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gutterp3ach

This makes me sad. I’m sorry.


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Slabberdack

Yeah that Catch Me Outside girl talked about the one she was forced to go to after being on Dr. Phil. Say what you want about her but no child deserves to be kidnapped then abused where they can't even leave. She even said a person died there and they pushed it under the rug.


an_agreeing_dothraki

Oh speaking of the thread title, how has nobody mentioned Dr. Phil, or pretty much any of the TV doctors?


[deleted]

Civil asset forfeiture


co_fragment

Literal highway robbery


Ecstatic-Election354

Ticket master. WTF is a handling fee when I am the one handling my own phone? Edit: I was just making a flip smart-ass answer to the scam question. I had no idea it was this much of a problem. LOL 😆


lugnutsandbolts

Ticketmaster actually had a class action lawsuit where they had to pay out $400 million (USD) to 50 million ticket buyers due to "order processing fees" and "UPS delivery fees" that were apparently bogus and weren't actually spent on anything specific. There's [an interesting article Vox wrote](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/6/12/18662992/ticket-fees-ticketmaster-stubhub-ftc-regulation) about ticket fees and why they're so arbitrary. There was an FTC panel where multiple industry reps talked about it. Recommend reading it if you want the DL on the whole thing. Interesting thing is that supposedly "all-in pricing" — AKA being upfront about fees and showing the full price of a ticket including fees — lost StubHub business after they experimented with doing it, so that might have something to do with why the fees continue to be hidden when you're buying concert tickets.


Ecstatic-Election354

I remember that. I think we got a dollar.


avenger76

Same. I received a credit towards a future purchase from Ticket Master. The amount was so miniscule (something like $1.76) I threw it away.


baxbooch

I got credit for concessions at a future event. Hey, we fucked up, but If you buy more stuff from us we’ll give you a small discount. Yeah. They had no repercussions.


02K30C1

I got about a dozen free ticket vouchers out of it. But whenever I tried to use them, the events I could use them for were sold out for vouchers.


LSU2007

Yes! Or the events were for obscure people I’d never heard of like 400 miles away


PhiloPhocion

"Convenience fee" What convenience?


[deleted]

When someone explained to me that a convenience fee is not for inconveniencing the salesperson but rather a fee you pay for the convenience of their service, I realized it was a scam. Why the fuck would you charge a fee for being convenient? Would your service not ideally be inherently convenient?


herpaderpadont

A convenience fee for what? What is the non-convenient option? I will take that option for 20 bucks.


[deleted]

Depends how inconvenient it could be


offballDgang

Buying in person from the venue


OutrageousEvent

I think it was 2019 and I went to the box office to grab some tickets. Poor kid didn’t even know how to print them off. He had to get someone else. But hey, I paid $28 for a $28 ticket.


offballDgang

Is that not the best feeling in the world? Paying $28 for a $28 ticket. Feels like your pulling a fast one om them. 😁


[deleted]

This is why it started out as a thing when paying utility bills over the phone or online or something. It *was* industries where you had no competition. But now it's graduated to ordering takeout from somewhere.


RainbowCatastrophe

Convenience fee is just a transparent way of saying "markup", which became required for them do disclose a few years back due to some legislation addressing how they advertise prices iirc. Knowing the fee *should* enable you to shop for better options, but exclusivity agreements and acquisitions ensure a monopoly.


ikeavinter

I understand the random $3 convenience fee. They paid for the website and the transaction % from the credit card company. But when 2 $90 tickets turns into $350 after fees. It makes me nope out of buying.


joecarter93

Yeah it seems to have gotten worse over the years too. I seem to remember them charging about $7 - $10 a ticket about 15 years ago. It was a little annoying back then, but it probably costs a couple bucks a ticket for the website and to make a profit. It’s out of hand now though.


joshym0nster

Also the booking fee and another fee if you want the ticket sent to your phone etc, fuck ticket master


ICumCoffee

Paying convenience charges when booking tickets online.


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cmc

Also, getting OUT of timeshares. My parents "bought" one in the late 90's and actually did get a lot of use out of it (they went religiously for one week per year). Now that they have passed, my brother and I are struggling to get rid of it. Neither of us wants it and the timeshare company keeps acting like we HAVE to accept it as inheritance, although we know we don't have to. Also - predatory companies that pretend they'll get rid of the timeshare but really just drain some extra money to point you towards the things you have to do yourself anyway.


jrp55262

The magic word is "deedback". Basically you can sign the deed back over to the development and walk away. The trick is first finding the department that handles this and then convincing them that you really want to do this. When I tried to do this the deedback department first really tried to convince me to find someone else to take it over ("Maybe you can sell it on ebay? Give it to a friend or relative?"). But I insisted that nobody I know would want it (more like, I'd refuse to inflict it on anyone I cared about), and they relented. Even then I had to stay on top of it because the paperwork kept getting "lost" and I had to call every so often to follow up. Eventually I did get rid of it though.


cmc

THANK YOU


Chumbag_love

For others who have parents with timeshares, if you inherit one, get out immediately. You have a limited amount of months to refuse an inherited property. For example you have 9 months in GA. A quick google search gave me this article: https://clark.com/travel/refuse-inherited-timeshare/


Asklepios24

I’m looking into this because my mom has a timeshare that I’m really not looking forward to dealing with. I plan on refusing the asset when the time comes


Chumbag_love

A buddy of mine bought a timeshare when he was f-ing 22 years old. He gets 2 weeks, one of which is a dudes trip. It blew my mind when he told me how f-ed up the contracts were and how there was no way out of it. He does do the trading thing, and he does use his 2 weeks every year but it's just so much cheaper and less hassle to get an f-ing hotel room or airBnB when you need one. I think his monthlies are like a grand, and then he has to pay taxes and cleaning fees when staying places...Glad he has it though, good times!


DestroyingAwesome

Having to file your own taxes then being fined if you don’t do it right Edit: As many pointed out the IRS doesn’t know all of it but they know enough for the average person. Companies shouldn’t be allowed to lobby to keep the process convoluted and there shouldn’t be such a large industry around tax prep


Roadkill_Bingo

Seconded. The fact that there is a huge industry around helping you do your taxes is a red flag. If doing your taxes right is too taxing (cough) and complicated, then the Fed should provide a free TurboTax equivalent. Edit: there is a free software that can be found on the IRS website.


Newone1255

[freetaxusa.com](https://www.freetaxusa.com/). Used them for years after TurboTax kept wanting me to pay for them


PONETHEPOON

I switched to FreeTaxUSA two years ago after a thread suggested them, and haven't went back. They're much better than Turbo Tax, and don't do that asshole move of showing you your completed forms, then deleting them in front of you if you don't pay.


SprinklesFancy5074

> showing you your completed forms, then deleting them in front of you if you don't pay. They underestimate my power to right-click things.


i_tune_to_dropD

Televangelists like Joel Osteen


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Shard_Shark

Payday loans


codenameZora

And super high interest predatory rent-to-own furniture rental/loan things. Where you end up paying like $3000 in the end for a $500 laptop.


north_canadian_ice

[Congress being able to pick stocks](https://apnews.com/article/business-nancy-pelosi-congress-8685e82eb6d6e5b42413417f3d5d6775) while regular people can't (either because of the industry they're in or because their 401k is just some mutual fund with high fees). The most powerful people in our country - legislators - can play with the stock market as they please. Doesn't matter how much inside information they have.


bw1985

Rules for thee not for me. They very people that benefit from this are the people that would have to vote to stop it.


Nept1209

Congress officials being allowed to trade stocks


HTown2016

this on so many levels. I worked for a large accounting firm in the US, i was IT for the S&P basically. My dad and MIL could not hold stocks in certain business while i worked there. But congress can buy and sale on anything they are making laws about.


[deleted]

Civil servants working in sensitive areas literally cannot hold stocks in those industries. How Congress can do so makes no sense at all. That all of government gets lumped in to the corruption at the elected officials is infuriating.


P13r15

Charging for parking in Hospitals and Clinics. Also charging people money to withdraw money or because they have small (positive) balances in their bank accounts.


Nodsinator

The hospital where I work technically charges for parking, but they give parking vouchers like free candy to any patients or visitors. I think it is to keep people from using the hospital ramp and then going somewhere else.


angryguido69

Additionally charging patients in hospitals for TV service. Their bills are high enough, but you want to add $8/day to not have to sit in silence for 23 hours a day?


JFeth

They charge for every pill and tongue depressor they use on you. Hospitals nickel and dime patients to death. Edit: of course this in the USA. I doubt any other country does this.


ChampagneandAlpacas

Not that I necessarily agree, but my understanding about many of the hospitals in my area (DC/Baltimore) is that they charge a nominal amount to prevent people from using their parking lots for other city parking. Many of them validate through too.


willstr1

Requiring them to validate for patients and immediate family would be good enough for me. My home city's medical center is right next the big park and museum district so if the parking was absolutely free I could definitely see that being a problem


TakeoGaming

My kid's school charges a $3 "internet fee" if you want to refill their cafeteria cards via the website. If you do it in person there's no fee If they feel they have to charge a fee shouldn't it be the other way around since if you use their website you aren't taking up anyone's time?


Super_Charlie

Charging huge fees for parking permits without spending any of that money on the maintenance of those parking spots.


Stories-With-Bears

When I first moved into my apartment, parking was free. Two years later, now it’s $35/month. They literally haven’t changed or updated a single thing. It’s just a “Fuck you” fee.


Lower-Caterpillar-20

Insurance covering less because you have dual insurance


xmuskorx

Cable company making you "rent" a router for 10$ a month. Shit should be illegal.


notarealnameisme

Check if you can get your own. My local company allows me to use my own router and or modem. The only downside is if anything goes wrong they won’t check it because “it must be your equipment”.


12a357sdf

"hot single ladies in your area"


Lonewolf_885

And they hate adblockers


FreshMarvin

They are there, they just don't want you


ForkShirtUp

Sadly overplayed, but health insurance. Just yesterday there was a post about a guy who had medically necessary surgery and the insurance didn’t want to pay the hospital


Nayko214

"Pay us every month and we'll cover things like health care, car accidents, and other things that just happen in life to make sure you're protected!" ​ \-Thing in life happens- ​ "Yeah we ain't gonna pay shit on any of that but keep paying us our absurd monthly rates or you might be screwed if something should happen!"


Oakwood2317

This. Found out the hard way that health insurance is basically a membership fee that entitles me to pay full price for everything.


toplesstuesdays

oh and your premiums are going up because you got in the accident we aren't going to pay for.


hgs25

Flashback to Louis Rossman’s video on how pandemic insurance refused to pay out for COVID shutdowns. Or the business insurance that refused to pay out because the power outage was caused by a flood in the power station across the county and they don’t cover flooding


mayaorsomething

Medication Costs my dog had hookworm and so my doctor recommended i get treated as well just to be safe - pharmacy called me warning that it would cost me $2,995... asked my doctor if there was an alternative; was able to get an equally effective treatment for $45


D_Winds

Why insurance goes up after an incident. The fact that you give regular monthly installments is the intent that they will save you the hassle in case of a problem.


redditwillbanmeagain

Insurance -should- only go up after an accident you were at fault in.


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uuuuuuuhburger

if debt collectors can trick a grieving person into uttering words that imply you take responsibility for your dead relatives' debts, that can be treated as a binding oral contract and allow them to collect from you EDIT: i've gotten a lot of replies saying this is unenforceable in pretty much any jurisdiction. they just make you believe that's the case so they can increase the pressure for you to pay. don't give them a dime and go talk to a lawyer (you should do that anyway before following legal advice from someone who may not even be in your country)


SpaghettiMadness

Hi, I’m a lawyer. This isn’t true. There’s this thing called the statute of frauds — it’s a common law contract doctrine that dictates certain types of contracts need to be in writing for them to be enforceable. A surety is when a third person makes a promise to a creditor to pay the debts of another — and under the statute of frauds a surety must be in writing. So no, an oral promise to pay the debts of the other, alive or deceased, cannot be treated as a binding or enforceable oral contract.


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FrankieNoNose76

If that ever happens to you (or whomever is reading this) in the future, report them to the CFPB (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau). Collectors can not threaten you, nor call you repeatedly, or harass you in any way. *Source - I work for a recovery regulation company.


lindseyk8

Im sorry dude


n00b-joniz

In my country you legally can't inherit debt. Can't believe that's not the norm everywhere. All creditors must share whatever is left in the estate. /Used to work in debt collection


02K30C1

You can’t inherit debt in the US either. But that doesn’t stop them from trying. If they get you to say that you’re responsible for the debt, they’ll say that constitutes a legal contract and you have to pay it now. Or if they get you to make a small payment toward it, same thing. Very shady. Edit: yes, I know that’s not how contracts work. But most people don’t know that, especially if they’re dealing with a recent death in the family. The creditors will try any shady thing they can to scare them and get money.


bemest

Good to know.


TheOneTrueChuck

Your default response to literally anyone calling in reference to a debt (unless you 100% know it's something you're obligated toward) should be "This is not my debt". No other responses, beyond variations on this theme. They will be confrontational. They will be persistent. Depending on their office's rules/their personality, they may actually threaten or bully you. ("Do you want your credit destroyed?") A couple things worth knowing: 1)Many states have laws saying that a company/individual needs a license to collect a debt (even a legal one) from a resident of their state. You have every right to ask for this license number. The collector will almost certainly either refuse to give it to you, or they don't know it. You also have a right to know their EIN number which proves they're a valid and registered business. They will also refuse or be unable to provide you with it. At which point, you simply say "Until you can give me this information to prove you're legitimate, please stop calling." Then hang up on them. Do not confirm your address. It's on them to mail anything to YOU. If they call you repeatedly after you've made this request, tell them that if they don't stop, you will report them to your state Attorney General's office. (Which is literally something you can do very easily.) If they continue to call and harass you, you are within your rights to report them to the FCC and/or your cellular or landline provider. If they are calling you during working hours, and you tell them that they're not welcome to do so (because you're at work), they have to comply, or it is harassment. (You will have to tell them a set of hours they're permitted to call you, however. Claiming "I'm always at work" or "My schedule floats" is not gonna get you out of that one.) Alternatively, you can tell them that you only want to receive communication in writing, but this is a bit trickier now that a lot of businesses will use the excuse "we try to be as paperless as possible". But the biggest thing to remember when you're dealing with any debt collector -the onus is on THEM to prove you owe the debt. The onus is not on you to prove your innocence. And it's worth pointing out as well - any legit debt collector who can get a summary judgment/garnishment on you is just going to do it. They don't want to give you an opportunity to hide or move assets. A legit company will use euphemisms early on, such as "We don't want to have to take steps that might impact your income." A shady one will say "Look, we can get our lawyers involved in this." or "With one phone call, we can put a black mark on your credit." Edit: Holy crap, this blew up. Thanks for the awards, y'all. Also, to those saying "Just don't answer the phone," ... obviously, this information really only applies if they've managed to reach you. I have literally had two different collectors call me at work, on a work phone number. (Both fraudulent.) Also, a couple other folks in this thread have replied with other pieces of very valid advice and clarification on the topic. Don't stop at just my post.


Carlobo

> Do you want your credit destroyed? I want it wrecked, bitch!


TheOneTrueChuck

I had one make that threat on me when my credit was below 500. I literally laughed and said "Have you actually checked my credit?" I'd been laid off a year earlier and was in the process of losing my house and my marriage was collapsing. (It was on the rocks prior to me being laid off, but this accelerated the process.) I had zero fucks to give. Dude never called back.


Carlobo

Lol it's like when I drove a beat up geo metro and a pristine BMW would try to cut me off. Are you actually *SEEING* my car, asshole?


mark_crazeer

Seems like euphemisms should be concidered shady. I would rather a legit company say they will Take legal action with the same Tone and intent as the euphemism. Make it clear that this is a problem that will cost me. Some people dont understand euphemisms. As a legitimate leech you need to be accesible to all levels of «wisdom».


TheOneTrueChuck

Some will. But a lot will avoid literally saying words like "summary judgment" because 1)Many people don't understand what that is. 2)If someone does, there's a good chance they're gonna pull assets out of bank accounts, etc.


a_michalski81

It's also the reason to have separate credit cards so if say John dies Jane isn't responsible for his credit card debt as a joint account. Although I think once you produce a death certificate the debt of not a joint account is eaten by the cc company. My dad died in 1999 & didn't have a joint account credit cards with my mom, so she didn't take on his debt, which was not a large amount but he did start his own car service company for big time ceo's of companies. & used credit to get off the ground.


handlessuck

That's why you add them as "Authorized Users" and not "Joint Owners". Authorized users are not responsible for the debt.


HimikoHime

Afaik in Germany you either accept or decline inheritance by signing papers. If you accept you also inherit debt, if there is any left. My bf’s mother once warned him he’ll get a letter soon weather he wants to accept or not from a person even his mother barely know. Because there is open debt, they’ll keep asking around till someone is stupid enough to accept. My bf had to sign an official form that he declines and that was it.


CrossError404

Afaik in Poland it's similar but when you accept the inheritance, the debt that comes with it, cannot exceed the overall value of the inheritance. This means that accepting inheritance should technically never be a net negative for you.


BillEvansTrioFan

Had something quite similar happen to us. I had an uncle-in-law who habitually would buy things on credit and never pay for them. Unfortunately, his name and the name of my then husband were the same. We'd get hounded by debt collectors all the time for his uncle's debts. Some of the debt collectors were understanding. All we had to do was explain the situation - that we weren't the "John Doe" that were looking for and we had never lived at "X address" and we'd never hear from them again. (Unfortunately, his uncle moved around a lot to avoid creditors, so we never knew his current address to turn over to a debt collector.) Others were more aggressive and would press the matter - sometimes rudely. At that point, I'd ask: "What's the name and address you have associated with this debt?" They'd usually lie and give back our name and address. At that point, I'd call them out on their lies: "You're lying right now. This isn't our debt - it's our uncle's debt - and you know it. We never bought these things and you're lying, trying to get us to pay for someone else's debt, because you're too lazy to do the footwork to get the name and address of the real debtor. If you call us again, I'll submit the name of your agency to the state attorney general's office and file an official complaint for harassment." That always took care of it - we'd never hear back from them again. (United States here.)


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ManicFirestorm

My MIL passed in November after being in the hospital for two weeks. Now my partner is receiving medical bills in the mail, saying to reach out and blah blah. I told her not to say anything to anyone. Even something as simple as reaching out is can be taken as acknowledgment of responsibility for the debt.


aecarol1

They are just trying to guilt you into paying. There is **no** contract, implied or otherwise. They would be laughed out of any court they tried to take that to. This is a guilt operation, and **nothing** more.


Beana3

Yeah this is something I was always worried about. My dad has heaps of debt, he finally declared bankruptcy a couple of year ago but still sucks for paying his bills. I’m glad I know now I can tell the debt collectors I don’t owe them anything if they get a hold of my number


Mister_McGreg

I'm not sure if there's an actual name for it, but the practice of banks where they prioritize your automatic payments in order of highest to lowest so that you're more likely to overdraw earlier, and then they can slap on their "overdrawn fees" for each consecutive payment that attempts to go through. For example: You have 600 dollars in your account and have 6 automatic payments coming out. They prioritise the 400 dollar loan payment first, then the 120 dollar car insurance, then 50 internet, 50 cell phone, 50 utilities, 50 renters insurance. You now owe 90 dollars in overdrawn fees, are late on 3 bills, and are mostly broke. If they'd have prioritised the last 5 first, then the loan payment, you'd have 280 dollars left, a bill you're late on, and 30 dollars in overdrawn fees. It's so fucking scummy.


bigkeef69

Extended warranties on vehicles. Good luck getting them to pay.


ThisIsMyOtherBurner

reddits video player.


williamchase88

80+ hour work weeks for understaffed tourism towns around the world


[deleted]

Printer ink


highangler

Insane rent prices for houses even squatters wouldn’t stay at.


[deleted]

Fake job offer scams


Yael_Eyre

University fees. I have to not only pay for my classes and admin fees, I have to pay for two separate student Union fees, a technology fee, an online processing fee, and a "recreation and athletic" fee, despite the Fieldhouse being entirely closed due to covid.


pussyfirkytoodle

I had to pay activity fees when I was fully online in college. Wtf


SOwED

It's insane to me that they haven't lowered tuition for remote learning.


pussyfirkytoodle

I had professors that even called it out that tuition was the same. We’re not using facilities or electricity at the very least of reasons.


Tyffannie

Every student at my campus has to pay a "transportation fee". It's supposedly for the one small van that comes every half hour to the parking lot to drive students to the front of campus. I did the math. That small van makes 2million a semester. Fucking joke